The Only Choice
by Novarin
Summary: We've all been hunted since day one. For as long as I can remember, we've been hated and feared, captured and killed so we don't hurt anyone. We're the monsters society hates. We weren't always this way. I know I had dreams and desires for the future. But those dreams aren't an option now. All any of us can do now is survive.
1. Prologue

My breath comes on in short, raggedy puffs as I peer around the corner of the building. People mill around the sidewalks. Hopefully, none of them have noticed me here. But them, I'm not too worried about. It's the HCP I have to watch out for. I scan every face in the crowd, keeping an eye out for those damned blue and red uniforms. Sure enough, I soon see the very person I was running from earlier. I couldn't forget those soul-staring gray eyes if I died. But even though every instinct is telling me to run, I can't let them see me. My heart pounds in my chest as I pray to not be found. After a few moments of silence, a few shouts ring over the crowd, then heavy footsteps hurrying past my dark hiding place. Before long, they are gone, leaving me alone. Had it not been late at night, I probably would have been found.

I'm finally able to let out that breath I didn't realize I was holding in. Almost immediately, I fall to my knees, the adrenaline that fueled my earlier running all but nonexistent. It takes forever, but once I recover, I pull my hood up over my head, just in case anyone bothered to look down this alley. Reaching into my pocket, I take out the piece of bread I had managed to buy before being chased here. The empty space it leaves in my pocket is just a cold reminder that I may have to resort to stealing again. Taking a bite of the annoyingly stale bread, I can't help but wonder how it came to this. Three months ago, I never would have guessed that I'd be living off the streets like this. I never would have imagined that I'd _be_ like this.

I'm jolted back out of my thoughts, awoken by a familiar voice. "Finish that bread already," that voice ordered. "We have to keep moving" Though annoyed, I scarf down the last bite of bread. I can't believe I got distracted again! You'd think I'd have learned by now. I get back to my feet and dart back into the street, already blending into the crowd. Arc is annoying, but I have to admit, he gets me moving. Once on the sidewalk, late-night commuters jostle my comparitively smaller frame. I hate trying to walk through this city, but it's better than being loaded into the back of a truck for an alternative. Through the gaps between people, I catch glimpses of HCP goons. I can't believe they're still on the move, probably still looking for me. Please let them be after someone else now. Every time one looks in my direction, I unconsciously lower my head, pulling my cloak tighter around me. I can't believe how paranoid I am now.

After what seems like an eternity, I finally reach a side street leading out of the city. I push my way through the crowd, determined to keep myself from being swept away with them any longer. I ignore the annoyed glares as I break free, eventually passing through the city gate. The familiar, comfortable sight of the forest soon greets me, quickly enveloping my form in its darkness. Before long, the bright lights of Sena City are far behind me, their glow no longer illuminating anything.

I slow to a walk now that the danger has passed. The sounds of various nocturnal Pokémon reach my ears, giving a strange sense of calm. It's certainly less nerve-wracking than the constant fear of being discovered that exists in the cities. Once I'm sure I'm far enough away from the city, I finally talk again. "I guess you were right about not heading into Sena City," I moaned. "It really wasn't worth it."

Arc chuckled, obviously gloating about being right. "See?" he gloated. "I'm always right about this stuff. You should listen to me more often."

"I wish I could shut you up sometimes."

"That might be a little hard considering we share-" A surge of terror fills my mind the moment he pauses. Something's not right. I hear the rustling in the bushes soon after.

"Crap! Hide!" I silently curse myself for talking so loud. Anyone nearby was bound to hear it. There's no doubt in my mind that it's the HCP. I was just plain dumb to think they would simply stop looking for me. A quick look over the area confirms there aren't any places to hide. Even the trees are too short to hide in effectively. I have to fight. I crouch behind a tree, eying the bushes. It sounds like whoever it is seems to be having some trouble getting through. Lucky for me, that just means they'll be less prepared.

In the next few seconds, I see a bit of red cloth come through the bushes. It's definitely them. The moment the person is through the bush, I leap on him, ready to simply knock him out. He's on the ground after a short struggle, although he's clipped me with a punch or two. I get ready to punch him hard enough to knock him unconscious, but then something catches my eye. He's not wearing a HCP uniform. In fact, it's just a red jacket. He even looks way too young to be with them in the first place. Did I just try to beat up some random person?

"Hey!" he yells. "What was that for?" The boy stands up, pushing me from him. I hurriedly pull my hood back on, hoping he hadn't seen my face. It turns out he was in fact a teenager a few years older than me, as far as I can tell. He stands a bit taller than me, and looks a little more muscular as well. I'm briefly reminded of my own apparent inability to grow huge muscles and feel a pang a jealousy. He wouldn't be too much of a problem if it came to fighting him, though. "What the heck are you doing? You can't just attack people like that!"

Arc's voice echoes, a sense of urgency flooding my head. "What are you doing?" he urged. "Run already!"

"Well, um..." I stuttered. "You see... I thought..." I rack my brain for an excuse, but nothing's coming. The guy looks pretty pissed for the five seconds it takes for me to come up with something. "I was training for a wrestling match and you looked like a good opponent!" Well, I never said it was a good excuse.

The teen didn't seem to believe me. He crossed his arms, a dubious look on his face. "Really?" he snorted. "In the middle of the night? Sure you were." I took a step back, knowing I'll have to run soon. I just need a good chance. Unfortunately, he notices this and takes a step toward me. "Why are you so jumpy? It's like you're hiding something." Now I really hope he can't make out my face in the dim moonlight. Fear is the dominant emotion now, and it's really showing in my expression. I feel a bead of sweat roll down my cheek. My heart is beating faster than an arcanine's. Time to run. I turn on my heels, ready to break out into a full sprint. But the guy had already reached out to grab me. I'm too slow, and his cold hand grips my wrist. He almost immediately pulls away with a loud yelp of pain, but it was enough to throw me off-balance. I fall to the ground, my hood falling down in the process. I look up at him, wide-eyed, my every feature highlighted in even the little light that shines through the trees. The teen stares at me, his expression one of disbelief. He's far over the actual shock I just gave him.

"Busted..." Arc whispered.

And I may have forgotten to mention this. I'm exactly what society fears and hates. What the HCP hunt down and capture. Every human being is taught that we have to be destroyed.

"My name is Raiden Quinn. I'm a hybrid."


	2. Dean- Self Defense?

"You're a hybrid..." I finally manage to say. He looks up at me from the ground, a positively terrified look on his face. From the look of his torn and ratty clothes, he's probably been running for a while.

He even looks a few years younger than me. It's hard to imagine someone that age being on his own like this. But then again, most hybrids are.

Both of us get over our shock at nearly the same time. However, he was first to react. He leaped to his feet, the black fur around his face glowing slightly. He looks almost completely different, having adopted a far more dangerous expression. His eyes are narrowed, and a snarl starts to form. Even in this dim light, his many, sharp fangs are visible. A low growl fills the recently silent air.

I start to back away, not wanting to prompt this kid to attack. At the very least, not scare him any more than he already is. Luckily, he stays where he is.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you or anything," I say after a few more seconds of silence. His expression softens for a moment, but quickly goes back to the same, cornered animal look. This isn't going anywhere. I reach to my belt, aiming for the pokeball there. If things go sour, and I'm sure they will, I'm not going to be defenseless.

However, as I reach for the red and white ball, every hair on my body starts to stand on end. A slight tingling covers every inch of my skin. I turn my attention back to the hybrid, who is apprently even more agitated. _Crap_! No doubt about it, now. He's an electric type. Everyone knew how hard it was to deal with Special moves. And electric types were full off them. I take my hand away, but the obvious danger doesn't decrease. In fact, it almost feels like it was about to get worse for me.

I hate being right all of the time.

Suddenly, I hear the familiar click of a pokeball, making the both of us flinch. In a burst of yellow light resembling a lightning bolt, a small canine pokemon appears at my feet. It is primarily green and has a lighting bolt running across it's body. It stood crouched, its ears pulled back. I could hear a growl coming from it as well. Bolt just had to learn how to get out of his pokeball, didn't he?

As I expected, the hybrid before me only becomes more agitated. His eyes narrow, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say his eyes turned yellow. I close my own eyes, waiting for the inevitable Thundershock. The next thing I hear is a small clap of thunder.

But the pain doesn't come.

I warily open my eyes, seeing that nothing has changed. Except that the hybrid is just as confused as I must look. Bolt still looks like he's defending me. Every few seconds, a flash of blue electricity appears on his fur. Then it hits me. His ability is Lightning Rod! A smirk forms on my face. I guess he can't attack us, huh? However, this new development didn't stop him from trying. At all.

Once more, a the hybrid tenses and a blast of electricity comes right at me. Just like before, it immediately arcs toward Bolt. "What the hell?" he shouts angrily. Was it just me, or did his voice sound different right then? I could have sworn it was a bit higher earlier. "You can't just absorb my lightning like that!" Bot barks something, which seems to make the guy even angrier. "Oh yeah? Well at least I'm evolved and not an electricity stealing jerk!" Wait, what is even going on here? At least he's distracted.

"Bolt, Quick Attack!" Responding immediately, the Lightning Pokemon bursts forward, leaving an afterimage behind. Obviously caught off guard, thhe hybrid isn't able to dodge the blur heading at him. The force of the attack sends him flying into a nearby tree hard enough to knock the breath out of a normal person. Unfortunately, he's no normal person.

The boy gets back to his feet, albeit a bit shakily. "Okay, i take it back. You're not that weak. But it's just because you have a really unfair advantage!" He suddenly stops, as if listening to something. "Of course I know what I'm doing! You don't even know how to fight!" Both Bolt and I stare at the boy in confusion. Is he... talking to himself?

"Just use Quick Attack again..."

"Trike...?" Despite being just as confused, Bolt rushes foward again. Once again, the boy is caught off guard and thrown to the ground.

"Ice Fang!" I can feel the chill even from where I stand as Bolt prepares his next attack. What happens next is a loud cry of pain, probably audible to anyone within 50 yards. But as quickly as it came, it ends. The deafening silence of the forest continues. I return Bolt to his pokeball and walk to the prone form of the hybrid. He's clearly unconscious, but the steady rise and fall of his chest confirms he's alive. Then again...

I look down at his midsection with a grimace, where his tattered shirt is soaked in blood. Two small holes are in the fabric, but just barely visible in the deep red. Perhaps Bolt and I went a bit too far. I never was one to stop when needed. On the other hand, he seems to have more wounds than that. Maybe he just opened up on of the more painful ones? Even so, that wound is going to need treatment soon. Luckily, the Pokemon Center in Sena City actually treats hybrids (in secrecy of course), but there's no way I could get him there anytime soon. He looks light but that looks like a lot of blood.

I reach into my pocket and take out the small, red and black orb. A click brings it to full size. An X-Ball, the one thing I never wanted to actually use. I've always hated how the HCP made every traveler carry these things around,, just in case. Yet, it seems I'm going to have to use it to get this guy to the city.

Taking a deep breath, I bend down and touch the front of the ball to the hybrid's forehead. He is immediately enveloped in a dark yellow glow, before each of his features disappear into formless energy. Within a second, he has disappeared into the ball. The button on the front flashes red for a few seconds before a ping resounds throughout the air. I start out at a run toward Sena City.

I just hope I can get him out of this thing.

* * *

**X-Ball: An item used mainly in the Xeres Region to capture wild hybrids that attack. Every traveleing citizen is required to have at least one with them at all times**


	3. Raiden- A Deal

"You really went overboard with this one, didn't you?" That voice breaks through my sleepy stupor, bringing me back to my senses. I can feel myself lying on something flat and a bit cold. This is definitely not the forest floor or a tree branch.

"Well he did attack me." That voice sounds familiar. Just not in a good way. I crack open my eyes, recoiling from the bright light that greets me. I try again, this time much more slowly. I can soon make out the florescent lines of light in it. Not good. I'm in some building! Without a second thought, I prop myself up with my arms. I have to get out of here!

However, the moment I sit up, an intense pain races through my midsection, eliciting a loud cry of pain. Immediately, the voices outside the room stop. Crap! They heard me! Ignoring the bolts of pain racing through my body, I sing my legs over the side of the bed I'm on. I slight chill comes over me, and for the first time, I realize I'm shirtless. I guess I'll just have to steal another one later. At least I still have my pants.

Upon my feet hitting the floor, I hear the door start to open. It really doesn't help that the pain has only increased. I use the table to steady myself, but soon realize my right hand is in something wet. I look down, my eyes widening at the sight of the parts of the mattress covered in blood. My blood. The door swings open, letting in a Nurse Joy and Audino.

Upon seeing me, the Audino lets out a cry of surprise and rushes over to me. She guides me back to lying on what I now recognize as a hospital bed. I have little strength to resist as I am laid back down. "You really need to stay in bed," she says in a worried tone. "You're still recovering from you wounds."

Before I can ask what she means, Nurse Joy comes over to the table, a warm smile on her face. "I'm so glad you're finally awake! It's been an entire day since Dean here brought you in." Wait just a minute... I've been asleep a whole day? And who's Dean?

"_Arc!"_ I call out mentally. Arc's reply is noticeably groggy, despite him being more or less a disembodied voice.

_What is it? I was trying to take a nap here?_

_"Did you know we were asleep that long?_"

_Not really. I mean, you were lost in your subconscious and I couldn't get up, so I went to sleep too._ I really should have expected that. I bring my attention back to the Nurse and Audino standing over my bed, who gladly didn't notice my internal conversation.

"So, I'd say you'll be out of here in a few days," Nurse Joy continues. "To make sure you're perfectly healthy and able to move effectively." She probably said something else before that, but I wasn't really paying attention.

It takes a few tries before i finally manage to speak. It's like I forgot how to for a moment. "So what are we-I doing here?" Joy seems a bit confused about why I would ask.

"Don't you remember? Dean brought you in because you got wounded in a battle. You probably would have bled out if he hadn't." Then, as if something had just come to mind, her joyful look is suddenly replaced with a downward gaze. The only problem is-" Suddenly, the door crashes open, revealing a tall, blond figure. I recognize him immediately. So he's Dean. I once again attempt to sit up out of instinct, but the pain forces me back down. I really hope this heals up soon.

"So, how's the guy doing, Joy?" Dean asks, sounding very relaxed for a guy in a hospital. And loud. He meets my eyes full of anger with his of Joy. "Hey,you're up! That's great!" Huh/

"Did he just say, 'That's great?'" Arc interjects. Dean makes his way over to the bed, apparently not bothered by all the blood.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about what happened before. Bolt and I just tend to go overboard sometimes." Then, his expression mirrors that of Nurse Joy's. "Except, I bet you're wondering how you even got here in the first place, huh?" Now that he's mentioned it, how did I even get here. Judging by the amount of blood I must have lost, I should have died long before we even got to the closest Pokémon Center. The only way is-

I can feel what blood remains rush out of my skin with that grim realization. No... He wouldn't... He didn't! From his belt, Dean unclasp a red and black ball, soon enlarging it to full size.

Arc utters a few choice words I don't want to repeat. Not that I can blame him.

"It was the only way to keep you alive," Joy says, breaking the silence. With that sentence, I feel Arc snap. Before I know it, I'm just a spectator in my own body. My mouth is moving on its own. Well, not really.

"The only way?!" Arc shouts. Both Nurse Joy and Dean are noticeably shocked by "my" outburst. "You could have just carried me here! Or even left me to die! That would have been way better than being bound to a pokeball!"

_Arc! Calm down_! I shout to him.

"_Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down? We're stuck with that X-Ball forever,and there's no way we'll have freedom from anyone!_" The pure panic coming from him is starting to bring me down to his level. I was trying to stay calm, but this is just too stressful. Before, I could at least blend in with humans if I wore a large cloak. Now, any HCP member could identify what I am with ease. Those damn X-Balls made it so my body gives off a weird signal that the HCP can pick up on if they're close enough. My days of freedom are over.

"W-well there is something you can do..." someone says. Arc looks down at the voice, finally taking notice of the audino. "You see, one of the hybrids we treated mentioned something about someone who could break someone free from an X-ball." Someone who could get me free from this thing? It's too good to be be true! "I don't know if it's true, but he said the person lives in Blackhollow City." I should have known. Nothing that convenient is ever that simple. I can practically feel my hope dying like a rose in a blizzard. There was no way I could ever get to Blackhollow. That's where the Pokémon League is held. Trainers only. I couldn't even get there, much less sneak in.

"Did Audino say something?" Dean asks. Oh right. They're still here. I manage to take back control of my body, momentarily enjoying having feeling in my body once again.

"Nothing important. There's apparently a guy who get me out of this, but he's in Blackhollow." The older boy's expression suddenly changes to a much happier one.

"Well then, I guess you're in luck! 'Cuz Bolt and I are heading there! Right after we beat the Gyms, of course." He is? I suppose it should have been obvious. Nearly everyone wanted to Champion of the Xeres League. "And ironically, you can actually travel now. You just have to go in the X-Ball sometimes." Okay, maybe this isn't too bad. I mean, it can't take too long for Dean to get all the badges, right?

_I wouldn't be too sure about that.._. Arc mutters.

"_Shut up, he's our only shot._ "

_But still, just look at him._

_"He beat you, didn't he?"_ That shuts him up. He never liked having his mistakes pointed out.

"So, what do you say?" Dean asks.

"Sure, why not?"


	4. Dean- The Journey Begins! Kinda

Finally, the day comes when Raiden's all cleared to go. Honestly, I think he was completely healed from Day 3, but Nurse Joy apparently wanted to be sure. At least he seemed happy to get out of this confined space. It seems a nice warm place didn't exactly beat being free. He makes his way to the door, stopping to stretch a little.

"Man, I'm sure glad to get out of here! So, where to first?"

"Raiden?"

"How about Yuid City?"

"Raiden."

"What about that town with the Fighting Type Gym? I hear it's easy enou-"

"Rai!" He stops talking immediately, evidently surprised at my outburst.

"What?"

"Forgetting something?" I unzip one of my pockets and take out the X-Ball he was bound to. His expression falls in an instant.

"Oh, right." He goes silent for a few seconds. "Okay, just get it over with. But as soon as you can, you're getting me a new cloak!" Nodding, I press the button on the ball. Raiden is soon enveloped in yellow energy that resembles lightning, wayward sparks and all. The energy soon rushes into the X-Ball, sealing him inside.

I can already hear him going off on me for keeping him in there for too long.

Not that Raiden is safely inside the X-Ball, I wave Nurse Joy goodbye and walk out into the hallway of the Pokémon Center.

As I walk out into the lobby, nobody even bats an eye, even though I'm practically shaking with nervousness. For all I know, they _do_ track used X-Balls. Any moment, some huge guy in a red outfit could jump out and grab me. Then I'd probably be thrown in jail and Raiden would go to who-knows-where. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

What am I thinking? Of course this is a good idea! I'm the one who got Raiden in this mess and I have to get him out! With new confidence, I walk out of the Pokémon Center and into the crowds of Sena City. Immediately, the flow of men, woman, and children takes me up. Even if someone in the HCP was following me, they wouldn't be able to get through this crowd. Leaving during the morning rush hour was actually a great idea.

I just hope I can get out of the city before Raiden gets too mad. Just mentioning him going into the ball made him mad. That much was obvious from the start. It was understandable really. Who would choose being cooped up in such a small space? It was too bad his cloak got really torn up in our fight, he could have used it to hide his... features. Then again, it would be a littleout-of-place to bein in a dark cloak in plain sunlight.

I pick up the pace, pushing through the large crowds. After a good 20 minutes of swimming through people, I finally reach the road that leads to the Serene Woods. The crowds had greatly thinned out by the time I even got close. No one really leaves the city since nearly everyone works here. Unless they're trainers, of course. They're practically the only ones who travel on foot. I walk into the gate and wave to the attendant working there as I pass by. Finally, I exit into a path to the forest.

Oddly enough, passing through the Southern Gate is like passing into another world. One second you're in a city, the next you're walking through the woods. It's like they just gave up developing the area once Sena City finished completion. At least that meant that there were plenty of pokémon to catch. And it was nearly impossible to see hybrids in hiding. No wonder Raiden was hiding out here. Speaking of which...

I take out the X-Ball and press the button on the front. Out comes a bolt of lightning that quickly materializes into Raiden. For a few seconds, he doesn't even notice he's outside, but once he does, a huge grin forms on his face.

"I am _so_ glad to be out of there!" he exclaims, stretching a bit. "So, where are we going first?"

"Up north, to Gigant City." I answer.

"Great, great." He placed his hands behind his head. "But just how long is that going to take?"

"Three days, maybe five."

"Then let's get going already. I want to be free from that ball as soon as possible. Who knows how long it'll be before the HCP comes after me?" Without another word, he starts walking away, down the path. This might be a long trip.

* * *

Hours later, we're still walking down the path. The sun is just beginning to set, casting an orange glow on the forest. Oddly enough, we haven't seen anyone. Well, everyone tends to take travel by cars these days. What do you expect when everyone's afraid of Hybrids attacking them? Especially with that new group that just popped up...

All of a sudden, a loud growl shocks me out of my head. I look over to Raiden, who seems really annoyed. He's even stopped walking. "What is it this time?"

"I'm hungry! I haven't eaten in like... 4 hours!"

"We gathered plenty of berries an hour ago!"

"I already ate those!" Seriously, this guy couldn't go without food for 10 minutes! How were we going to last a week out here if he kept eating all of our food?

"Why don't you just sniff out some food?" I start walking again. I might as well just ignore him until later tonight. He's gotta shut up eventually, right? However, I soon feel something tugging on my backpack. I whip my head around, seeing that it's Raiden. He's trying to raid my bag!

"Raiden! Get off!" No matter how hard I try, I just can't shake him off. In my defense, it's a lot harder to get someone out of a bag you're wearing.

"I just want a snack! There's gotta be something in here!" Now that I think about it, his voice sounds a little different. Like when he fought Bolt a few days ago. I, in no way, want to deal with that side of him again. It's like he's a different person.

While we struggle, I vaguely note that we're moving away from the path. It's not like I can do anything, though. But before I know it, I lose my footing on the ground and fall. Raiden obviously lost his balance as well. I really should have noticed that we were on such a steep hill. I can't do anything to pick myself up before I start tumbling down. Ever fallen down a hill so steep it was more like a cliff? Not fun. I hit at least 15 rocks on the way down.

Finally, the ground levels out and Raiden and I finally stop rolling. He shoots me a glare once we're able to get the forest to stop spinning.

"What was that for?"

"You're the one who jumped on my back!" I shout back.

"You didn't give me anything to eat! What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, **not** attack me like a crazy person. How did you even survive when you were living out here?"

"Stealing, how els-"

The sound of a small cough interrupts our argument. Both of us turn to the source. What we failed to notice earlier was a small cave at the foot of the hill. It would be nearly impossible to see if we weren't right in front of it. But standing at the mouth is a short kid, who actually looks around Raiden's age. He's clothed in what looks like pokémon skin (no comment),and feathers. But even weirder is his pale green skin. Well, not too weird.

"Raiden? What are you doing here? And with... him?" Wait, they know each other?

Raiden seems to have cheered up immensely, like nothing had ever happened. "Oh, hey Kaveh. How have you been?"

Okay, this is weird.

* * *

**Kaveh is a character created by my friend Mistborn DragonLord Rizardon. If you want a character in the story, just PM me about it. I won't take any by review though. Sheet's on my profile, if you're interested. Gym Leaders are welcome if you want to do so.**


	5. Kaveh- The Doctor Is In

Great, this is just great. You go out to look for rare mushrooms in a cave (in the middle of nowhere, I might add), and you end up with an annoyance and his new friend. And a _human_ at that. How did that even happen in the first place? I know Raiden doesn't particularly dislike humans, but traveling with one? Not exactly expected. If this is some sort of trick to capture me, I swear...

Raiden is the first to respond, with that ever-present grin of his. "Oh, hey Kaveh. How have you been?"

"I was looking for mushrooms," I say quickly. "Now I'll just be on my wa-" All of a sudden, a low growl comes from behind me. I look back into the cave, almost jumping at the large red and black pokémon padding into view. I almost forgot about the arcanine that accompanied me here, Haika. Honestly, the pack was so overprotective. I reach over to pet the legendary pokémon. "It's fine, they're not a problem." She stops, but is obviously still wary. The guy with Raiden's still a human after all.

"If you say so," she says. However, I can tell she still doesn't trust either of them very much.

Raiden apparently can't help but laugh a little. "I see you still have those arcanine protecting you like bodyguards." He pauses for a moment, seemingly thinking. "Speaking of bodyguards, how's Diarmuid lately?"

Before I know it, an aggravating voice resonates through my head_. You wouldn't need them to protect you if you just learned to fight for yourself._ Drat. I thought I'd be able to shut him out for longer.

"_I told you to leave me alone! Shut up!_" Diarmuid apparently gets the message, as he doesn't say anything afterward. I just wish I could get rid of him permanently, or at least for an entire day. "You and I both know it's not a good idea to travel alone." I gesture to Raiden's companion. "You didn't seem to take that advice the right way, though."

"I'm right here you know!" the human says indignantly. However, he seems to calm himself down. "Okay, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Dean." He takes a step forward, extending his hand. However, that gesture sets Haika off again. She jumps forward, growling even more fiercely than before. I can see flames through her bared fangs. Dean abruptly steps back, evidently alarmed.

"Stay back, or I'll burn you to a crisp!" Why does she have to be like this?

"I told you, they're not a problem." I turn my attention back to Raiden and Dean "look, I'd love to catch up with you, but I really have to go now." Before either of them can say anything, I turn around and walk briskly away. Haika follows, though I suppose she gave the two boys a glare before that.

Surprisingly, Raiden doesn't call or run after me. I guess he has much more important business too, which is odd for him. But it's for the best; I really have to get back. With that in mind, I quicken the pace of my stride through the forest. Of course, avoiding the roads and paths slowed my progress. If anyone saw me... no, I don't want to think about what would happen.

Eventually, the two of us reach our destination, the pack's temporary cave. There isn't anyone other than Caelon near the entrance, as he's most likely guarding the ones inside. He only gives me a grunt and a nod as I head inside. What can I say? He's a quiet one. I make my way to the back of the cave, where an Arcanine is comforting her pup. It's noticeably warmer in here than the last cave I was in, obviously because of the fire types hanging around. It's better for this one anyway. The growlithe is visibly weak, and shivering constantly. It had been getting sicker and sicker for a while now, and it took forever just to find the ingredients to make some medicine for it. I'm just glad I got back before something happened.

I cough a little, letting the two know that I'm mother turns, but the child is hopefully just asleep, and not too weak to turn around. "I got the medicine," I say, holding up my pouch. The arcanine's expression softens, and I move up to the pup, kneeling down. He open's his eyes slowly, and they look like the light has just gone out of them. The young growlithe were usually so full of energy and life. Just as I thought, he's too weak to even move.

I set down my pouch and start taking out the ingredients from the cure. Among them is a bottle filled with green liquid. I actually finished the medicine itself yesterday. It's just that the kid wouldn't take it, even when I put it on some berries. I guess it just smelled awful, not that I could blame him. Luckily, the mother told me that he loves the mushrooms from the cave, maybe just enough that he'd eat the medicine if it was on them. Well, it's time to see if this works.

The second I take out the mushrooms, the growlithe's face practically lights up, wagging his tail all the while. He hasn't looked this happy all week. Maybe this was a good idea after all. Even when I pour the foul-smelling liquid on one of them, the expression on the pup's face doesn't change. I have to admit, it's pretty cute. I hold the fungus out to him and say, "Now open up." He obliges and readily chomps down on the mushroom the second I reach out a bit more. Disgust flashes onto his face, but is quickly replaced.

I start getting more mushrooms ready, now that I know this works. He eats them almost as soon as I can prepare them. By the time the bottle is empty, the growlithe is already looking more lively. I sigh in relief, now that he's better. It will take a few days for him to get back to normal, but otherwise, my work here is done.

I stand up and give the mother a nod. "He's all better now."

A look of relief goes across her face. "Thank you, Kaveh, really."

"It was no problem. Real-"

"Wow, good job, Kaveh. Real good work." I whip around, almost losing my footing in the process. My blood runs cold in my veins the moment I see her. Standing there is a person I never thought I'd see again. Her expression is one of a hunter who has finally found their prey. "What's wrong, Kaveh? You look like you're not glad to see me." A small smile curls on her lips, and her eyes narrow behind her shades.

My heart is beating so fast that it feels as if it'll explode. "Wha- what are you doing here?" I manage to choke out. "You c-can't!"

She starts rolling up the sleeves on her dark green jacket. "Of course I can be here. I have just as much right as you. That kind of hurts, man." She feigns a sad look. "You're so mean sometimes." Immediately, her face goes back its original smugness. "But that's besides the point. You're coming with me." The woman takes a step forward, but I'm frozen to the spot.

"Man, you're not even going to fight back? This isn't even fun."

_Kaveh! What are you doing? Fight back! _I can hear the urgency in Diarmuid's voice, but I still can't do anything. I'm too weak to even try to protect myself. This is it. The end.

She steps closer and closer, and my fear only grows. She's only a step away from me when I can feel all of my hair stand on end.

"**Kaveh, get down!**" With nothing other than instinct guiding me, I drop to the ground. I can feel the electricity race over my head. A cry of pain and surprise comes from above me, and I can tell the woman was just hit. Hard. Before I know it, someone is pulling me up to my feet. After a second, I recognize him as the person Raiden was with earlier. Damien? No, Dean. I think. Wait, does that mean...

"Come on, let's get going!" Dean shouts. I can't even respond before we're off, running out of the cave. I can see Raiden running in front of us. At least he figured out that he couldn't take her on himself. Then we'd all be dead meat. While I'm glad to get away, something suddenly occurs to me.

"Wait, there's still a sick growlithe back there! We have to go back!" Dean looks back at me for a moment.

"Sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea. The mom was back with it, right? They'll be fine."

Raiden turns his head and shouts back at us. "As for us, we won't be fine if she catches up." Despite their words, a sick feeling is growing in my gut. We finally make it out of the cave, but I catch a glance of two orange, red, and cream lumps near the entrance. Caelon and Haika... I hope they're just unconscious...

I look back at the cave as we pass into the tree line. Standing there is the woman, glaring at me. I know I can't get away for long.

Gwen always gets her target.

* * *

**Hey look, a new main character. That took a while. So did the release of this chapter, in hindsight.**


	6. Raiden- Rescue Mission!

After an eternity of running, and nearly running into thirty trees in my case, we finally come to a stop. "Okay... I think... we lost her," Dean pants. Man, that was a lot of running for one day. It's a good thing I get a lot of exercise running away from the HCP. Doesn't change the fact that I'm winded. Maybe I need a real workout...

_You're the most unathletic hybrid I've ever met_, Arc comments.

_"Like you know more than 3._" I retort. "_Now shut up for a while_."

His chuckle echoes through my head. _We both know that's not how I work_. Either way, he'll probably stay out of things for the moment.

"We're not... going to... lose her," Kaveh breathed. Both Dean and I turn to face him.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. "We lost her like, half a mile ago!"

The look in Kaveh's eyes strikes a sense of urgency into me. "She's a skilled hunter. We can't lose her forever." He looks to the ground. "The best I can do is move on to another place until she finds me again..."

"Wait a minute," Dean interjects. "Do you know her already?" Oh yeah, that would make sense, considering the way he's talking about her. He definitely knows her from some other time.

"Yeah, I- Gwen came after me a few months ago, while I was visiting the city. I barely escaped back into the forest. But I heard from someone about a bounty hunter who never fails to catch her target." I can tell he's holding something back. He's got that scared look in his eye. I can literally smell the stuff emanating from him. How could I miss it? It's like raw onions and beer that's been out for too long.

"So, what you're saying is, you have two options," Dean begins. "You could either run away from this place and never return. Or, the better one in my opinion, fight back." Wait, what? Who said that?

"Are you serious?" Kaveh cries. "We can't just fight her! She'll kill us!" The moment he says that, he winces, most likely a result of hearing his other half yell at him again.

_Yeah, it really sucks, doesn't it?_

"_Shut up. I wasn't talking to you._" His presence seems to fade back again, which is great. He's so distracting sometimes. "Kaveh has a point. How can we beat someone who sounds that good?"

"Think about it, guys. Three of us, one of her. We'll beat her to a pulp, and she won't come after us again!" He seems pretty confident in his plan, actually. There's probably an issue somewhere in there, but it's the best we've got...

Kaveh starts to wring his hands nervously."I dunno, Dean. It seems kind of risky."

_Let me talk to him._ Arc says. _I'll bea- er_, _talk_ _some sense into him!_

I don't even get a chance to tell him no before I'm overcome with a familiar feeling of falling backward. In an instant, everything seems to go numb, I can't move any part of my body. Great, Arc's in control. He usually doesn't just take control of our body like this, but it's really annoying when he does. I'd at least like to have to give him permission.

"Look," Arc begins. I can tell that Kaveh knows Arc has taken over. Dean probably thinks I have Multiple Personality Disorder now that I think about it. I should probably let him know about Arc before I forget again... "I know you hate fighting and all, since healing and stuff is your thing." He then balls his hand into a fist and puts it right in front of Kaveh's face. His face contorts into a snarl. "But if you think you can just spend every day of the rest of your life running from this bitch, you've got another thing coming.

_Hypocrite_, I interject.

"_Shut it_!"

"You're either going to stand up for yourself, or die trying, got it?" he continues. Kaveh looks absolutely terrified by Arc, and with good reason. The guy could be downright traumatizing if he wanted to. Which wasn't often, thankfully.

"I- I get it. Let's just go find her, o-okay?"

Arc steps back, a pleased grin on his face. "Now that's more like it. Let's go." Without even waiting for a response, Arc starts back down the way we come, though on all fours this time. He prefers moving around like this I guess.

_So, can I have control again?_ I ask him after a few seconds.

"_Now way, Raiden. It's been a week since you last let me take over and just run. Besides, I can run faster than you can."_ Oh come on! I can't even get back in control now? I know he hasn't gotten much time lately, but this isn't the time to argue about this!

_Fine, but don't get us almost killed like last time._ He doesn't respond to that, which makes sense really. I love holding that over him. _And wait for Kaveh and Dean to catch up. Do you really think you should go on ahead like this?_ Once again, he doesn't respond, but slows down considerably.

Eventually, we reach the cave from earlier. The two arcanine that were lying there before are gone, which could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. Optimism is nice though.

In a few minutes, Kaveh and Dean finally catch up, once again looking absolutely exhausted. In that time, we were able to look around the area just inside the cave for a bit. "What took you guys so long?" Arc asks with a smirk. "Am I seriously the most athletic one around here?"

"What's with you, Raiden?" Dean pants. "It's like you... changed into a different person... in five seconds."

"What are you talking about? I'm still me." Well, it's not technically a lie... Kaveh shoots Arc a glare that I know is meant for both of us. It's like he's scolding us for not telling Dean about that part of being a hybrid. It's not like it's common knowledge, and it didn't seem important at the time...

"You just seem off," Dean says quietly. Or at least quietly to him. I wonder if he realizes I have really good hearing...

"Whatever, dude. Now, let's figure out where the Gwen chick is. She's obviously not in the cave, no one's left in there."

Kaveh is suddenly struck with a worried look. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Well, I'd probably hear something in there. It's not that deep of a cave, and sound echoes all over the place. That and the scent Why?" Just one look at Kaveh, and I can tell he's practically sick to his stomach. As the realization dawns on me as well, I feel the same.

"Sh-she took the growlithe I was caring for. And who knows about his mom? We have to save them!"

Despite the obvious tension and urgency in the situation, Arc remains calm. Which could be good or bad, depending on just why he was calm. "Dude, relax! I've got a good nose. I can just track them!"

_Our nose isn't that good, Arc._

_"Oh yeah._" "Change of plans, guys. We need another one." If I was in control now, I'd be facepalming hard enough to knock my head clean off. I can tell Dean and Kaveh have the same urge.

"I think I'll use Bolt for this one, Raiden," Dean says, a slightly annoyed look on his face. He grabs the pokeball from his belt and tosses it up into the air. Yellow lightning bolts with streaks of neon green blast out, almost faster than I can process. A familiar looking wolf cub materializes out of it.

And the moment Arc and Bolt look into each other eyes, all hell breaks loose.

"That bastard?!" is all I hear before Arc rushes forward, slamming into the smaller pokemon. Coicidentally, he was coming for us too. In seconds, they're rolling on the ground, trying to get the upper hand on each other. "You won't be sucking up my attacks this time!" Arc shouts over the chaos.

"I don't need to if I'm fighting you!" Bolt growls back.

_What the hell, Arc!_ I scream at him. _Are you seriously holding a grudge against him?_

_"He's the one who started it! We almost died because of him!"_ This fight doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon, but luckily, I can feel a force on the back of our neck and we're lifted up. Arc still tries to fight for a few seconds, but eventually calms down enough to not last out at whoever grabbed us.

"What the hell's gotten into you, Raiden?" Dean shouts from behinds us. Oh, duh. Dean's the only one strong enough to lift me off the ground and hold me there. Though it helps that there's that whole neck scruff thing. I can tell Arc's still steamed, though.

"Bolt's the one who almost killed me a few days ago! Of course I don't like him!" WIthout warning, Dean suddenly lets go and we land on the ground, a bit painfully.

"Look, I know you don't like him, but Bolt's the only one who can lead us to Gwen. So just get along for a while, got it?" Arc and Bolt both glare at each other, apparently not getting the message. But at least they're not fighting anymore. "Good. Now can you start sniffing around for a hybrid and a growlithe?"

Bolt is obviously still mad, but he complies to Dean's request. A few minutes later, we're racing after him into the forest. This time, Arc actually manages to hold back, and is running by Kaveh with Dean in the lead.

"Okay, Arc," Kaveh says suddenly. "I know you hate not being in control and all, and that Raiden refuses to shut you out, but you have to stop taking control without any warning all the time. This isn't exactly your area of expertise."

"Says the guy who always has a body of their own," Arc retorts. "When's the last time you let Diarmuid have any fun, huh?" Kaveh's eyes narrow at the comment, but he doesn't show more than that.

"Look, I just don't think you should be taking over without asking. And before you say that's not what happened, I could see it back at the clearing."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arc says with a low grunt. Without another word, he speeds up a little, catching up to Dean in seconds.

I finally decide to speak up. D_o we need to come up with a schedule or something? You seem pretty bitter._ _Arc doesn't reply, but i feel what he feels. And that was a deep pit of rage and bitterness._

After another few minutes, the trees and vegetation start to thin out. Now that I think about it, we're nearing the edge of the forest, which is actually where we were headed in the first place. I guess this turned out good, in a way. But soon enough, a young woman comes into view, along with a growlithe lying at her feet. I didn't notice before, but she has two thin lances strapped to her back. They look extremely sharp...

"So, you finally made it!" Gwen proclaims with a grin. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show." She then adopts an even more mocking tone, if that's even possible. "But then, what would have happened to this _poor, wittle_ growlithe here?"

Kaveh steps forward, fists balled up in absolute rage. "J-just let the pup go, Gwen." His voice is shaking. "He has nothing to do with this. Even you're not

that cruel."

"Au contraire, my dear. It's pretty obvious you care about this pack of yours. And much more so about the young ones. Perfect bargaining chips, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, well there's one fatal flaw in your plan," Dean says smugly. "There are three of us, and one of you. You couldn't possibly expect to win." "Oh no, my plan is ruined," Gwen says in a completely mocking and sarcastic tone. "I'm not an idiot, kids." All of a sudden,there's sound all around us. Leaves rustling, the ground shaking a little, and even strong gusts of wind. Right in front of us, a woman with the wings of a butterfly and a man with those of a bee drop down. The later's arms have very large and very sharp stingers protruding from them.

The earth right beside Gwen erupts upward, revealing a young man with blue markings all over his skin and extremely long claws. On her other side, a woman cloaked in white, blue, and red feathers lands. Her wings fold against her sides as she adopts a smug look. Soon after, a blue man with a wide mouth, sharp fangs, and bat-like leathery wings lands behind them.

Before I know it, we're surrounded by half-a-dozen hybrids, all ready to fight. A butterfree, beedrill, drilbur, tailow, golbat, and worst of all, Escavalier.

We're screwed.


	7. Dean- Battle in the Forest!

Before I know it, the 6 hybrids have leaped into action. Luckily, Bolt reacts faster than I can. The drilbur gijinka is only a few feet away when Bolt bursts forward and clamps his jaw into her side. She yelps, but mostly in surprise and not pain. Either way, it shocks me out of my daze, and I'm back into the action.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that the hybrids have already separated the three of us. Raiden's got his hands full with the butterfree and tailow, who are surprisingly good at dodging his electric attacks. As for Kaveh, he got stuck with the beedrill and Gwen. He's managing to dodge their attacks, but for who knows how long? I get the feeling he doesn't know how to fight that well.

_Wait a minute, that's only 5_... All of a sudden, a loud screech comes from above me, like nails on a chalkboard. I look up just in time to get an up-close and personal view of the golbat hybrid's fangs. I dive out of the way just in time to not get bitten in half. Damn, that guy's mouth is huge! "Bolt, use Spark!" Immediately, my electrike slams into the bat's back, coated in sparking electricity. He's batted away, giving me the chance to reach for my belt.

"Two against one guys? Come on, that's not really fair." A sly grin comes onto my face, I just can't help it. "It's a good thing I have another Pokémon, huh?" With that, I fling the pokeball I'm holding into the air. With a blast of black and white light, a new Pokémon appears before me. He adopts the fiercest expression he can, but even that looks pretty adorable.

"Pan, pancham!"

"How come you didn't tell me you had another Pokémon!" Raiden shouts over the fight. Really? He's focusing on that while we're in the middle of a fight? I need to have a talk with that kid.

"Not the time!" I yell back. What is with him lately? But then again, I don't have time to deal with it now. _Bigger issues, Dean_. "Lee, Karate Chop on that drilbur! Bolt, keep up with those electric attacks!" Both of my Pokémon comply immediately and leap into action. Lee is the first to attack, being a lot closer to his target. His paw glows white and he jumps into the air to get a better hit in. The drilbur hybrid is too slow, and gets bashed over the head with a powerful chop. Meanwhile, Bolt was having a field day with the golbat hybrid. He had since gotten back into the air, but was quickly knocked down with a Spark from Bolt. He plowed into him, knocking the poison/flying type back into the ground.

The ground type reels for a few moments before regaining her balance and composure. Seems her skull isn't all that hard after all. The golbat made his way back into the sky with his wings. It seemed it was time for a counter-attack. The drilbur gijinka jumps into the air and dives into the ground, joining her claws together. She leaves a wide hole into the earth behind her. Damn it, she's using Dig. There's no way I can tell when or where she'll pop up again. As for the golbat, well, his wings begin to glow white, and he flies forward at high speed. Before any of us can do anything, he clips Lee in the stomach with one pair of wings, sending him flying backward into the ground.

"Lee!" The pancham gets back to his feet with a bit of difficulty. Scratches from various rocks and sharp things along the ground , and obviously the wide gash from the Wing Attack, cover his body. He shakes his head, most likely to get his focus back. He was hit hard after all.

"Pan!" He still seems pretty ready to fight, so start the next command. "Lee, use Comet Punch!" He starts out at a run, paws balled into a fist. He jumps to the golbat, knocking him to the ground with a strong punch, only to start with a flurry of lighter punches when he gets the chance.

Eventually, he lets up, allowing me to prepare the next attack. "Bolt, Spark again!" My electrike starts to generate electricity around himself, but a strange tremor begins under him. _Oh no_. Bolt looks down just in time to see the ground erupt beneath him. Out of it comes the drilbur hybrid, claws first. She plows into him, launching him upwards and into the air. In one quick movement, she follows and swipes him down. I can't believe I forgot about her! One more hit like that and he's done for!

"Bolt, can you still fight?"

"Trike!" I guess I can take that as a yes. First things first, we need to take out that golbat hybrid. He'll be easier to beat with how many hits he's taken.

"Finish off the golbat! Spark and Bullet Punch!" Lee and Bolt leap into action. Bolt is the first to reach him, and the bat is unable to get away in time. He plows into him at full force. And that gives Lee the chance to strike. A flurry of punches follow. At the end of everything, the hybrid is out cold on the ground. And obviously, to the rage of his drilbur partner.

"Andrew!" She screams, the first words I've heard from either of them this entire fight. And those words are filled with unbridled rage. But instead of charging at Bolt or Lee, she turns her sights on me. Claws extended, she dashes toward me at full speed. Neither of my Pokémon will be able to make it in time. Just as she reaches me, she lunges out with a silver claw. I dive to the ground out of pure instinct. She tumbles over me, but obviously isn't down for the count.

I roll over just in time to see the hybrid lunging down with her left claw, aiming straight for my chest. I manage to roll to the side enough to dodge. Her claw gets buried in the dirt, long enough for me to kick her in the stomach. And damn, it hurt. It's like kicking a freaking boulder! But it's apparently enough to wind her to the point where I can stand up and move out of range.

Finally, Bolt and Lee get over to me. "Let's finish this up! Ice Fang and Karate Chop!" Before the woman can react, a wolf and panda Pokémon are upon her. First comes being bitten in the arm with a jaw full of ice. Mist leaks into the air. She screams. And just in time, Lee jumps up to slam her over the head with a glowing chop. On more cry and she's on the ground, KO'd.

I let out a long sigh. Finally, it's over. Who knew hybrids were so hard to beat? Raiden was a pushover when we fought him. Wait a minute...

"If you're done over there, I could use a little help over here!" Speak of the devil. He's got the butterfree hybrid down, but the tailow has him on the ropes. She flies around, pecking at him with every dive. By the looks of his purple-tinted skin, he's poisoned, probably by the butterfree before it passed out. I've got a pecha berry, but I think we'll have to KO that hybrid before he calms down enough to use it.

"You guys think you're good enough to fight a little more?"

"Pancham!"

"Electrike!" Okay then.

"Lee, bring that Tailow to the ground! Bolt, get ready to use Spark." Bolt begins to charge up electricity while Lee charges forward. His fists glow white as he starts jumps to attack the hybrid. Just as she tries to dive at Raiden, she gets hit with a punch to the face. Immediately Bolt races forward. Just as she hits the ground, an electrike is there with a full-powered electric charge. She gets plowed into a tree, still sparking faintly. She's out cold.

"Hey, Raiden. You okay?" I make my way over to him, but before I can even get there, he collapses. I guess he was poisoned longer than I thought. In a frenzy, I start digging through my bag for the pecha berry. At the very least, it will keep him conscious. "Here, eat this. It'll cure you in a few minutes." Raiden takes the berry, and shoves it in his mouth, obviously mad. About what, I'm not really sure. I have bigger fish to fry now. I pull out some potions to heal Lee and Bolt up, they'd be in no shape to finish this up otherwise.

Surprisingly, Kaveh's been holding his own pretty well. By the looks of it, he's been dodging and using absorb when he can. But he won't hold out much longer. He is up against Gwen and her lackey after all. Two-on-one and two of them are extremely competent fighters. I'm surprised he's held out this long.

"Spark, Bolt." Since the beedrill gijinka hasn't noticed us yet, he's completely caught off guard. Evidently, Gwen is surprised too. He flies right past her, a green streak practically glued to his back. Gwen looks around in surprise, obviously noticing her fallen squad. But her look of surprise soon turns to rage.

"You beat all of them? How?" Her voice is filled with unbridled rage. "I'll kill both of you!" She leaps into action, pulling her other candy-cane colored lance from its sheath on her back. She rushes forward, aiming for Kaveh with both of her lances pointed straight at his heart. However, a black and white figure crashes right into her side, setting her off course and into the ground.

Way to go, Lee!

"What the hell!" Gwen shouts, picking herself back up. But she doesn't look damaged in the slightest. She's obviously a lot tougher than those mooks from before. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Gwen bats Lee away in a rage, eliciting a sharp cry of pain. His small form crashes into a nearby tree, splintering it visibly. One look confirms he's been knocked out. I take out his pokeball and return him to it. "You did well, Lee. Take a rest." Now back to the fight. "Bolt, use-" Before I know it, Gwen has her lance aimed straight at my chest, a smug look on her face. How did she get here so fast? And is it just me, or are her eyes glowing red?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Kaveh running toward us. Unfortunately, she sees him too. In an instant, a lance is right at Kaveh's stomach. He stopped just in time to avoid becoming a grovyle-kabob.

The forest is silent for a good few moments, but it feels like an eternity. My heart is pounding in my chest so hard it feels like it'll burst out of my chest, and sweat is running in rivers down my face.

"You know, I think I'll take my time and enjoy killing you," Gwen finally says. A small smile forms on her face. "You were so much more trouble than I thought you'd be. Of course, nothing the perfect hunter can't handle. And to think, I didn't even have to power up." She moves her lance up to my face, the shining point right between my eyes. "I think I'll tear up that cute face of yours first. No one should look like that. It's not very fair, don't you think?"

All of a sudden, a roar shakes the very air. Gwen looks toward the source in surprise, just long enough for me to push the lance out of my face and break away. Kaveh takes the cue and hops backward, soon far out of range. Bolt rushes forward, already cloaked in electricity.

But he never makes it all the way.

Out of the trees bursts a gigantic blast of flame. And it heads right for Gwen. She jumps out of the way just in time, glaring at the tree line. Padding out is a pack of arcanine and growlithe. What are they doing here?

"Hey, you made it!" Raiden shouts. He's still pretty out of it, but eventually managed to force himself to a tree to lean against. "What took you so long?" The leader of the pack barks loudly at him, which is evidently enough to make him shut up. I need to learn that.

Another one barks at Gwen repeatedly, and she seems to tense at it. I have no idea what it's saying, but I'm pretty sure it was a threat.

"You know, I think it's time I left," Gwen mutters, just loud enough to hear. A harsh frown is on her face. She holds up her arm and presses a button on the wristband on her shoulder. Immediately, a young child appears next to her, enveloped in a blue glow for a moment. When it fades, I can tell he has a weird green goo lightly coating his skin. What was a seven year-old doing here? And with her?

"So, the infamous Gwen calls for help, that's hilarious!" The boy giggles for a second before laying his hand on her arm. "Time to go then!"

"Wait, who are you?" I shout at them. But they're already gone in a short flash of blue light. I don't think they even heard me.

Everyone lets out a long sigh of exhaustion. But at least it's over, finally over.

* * *

"So, you're leaving?"

Kaveh nods forlornly. He has an old bag strapped over his shoulder, filled to the brim with his belongings. It was mostly medicine and ingredients, but whatever. Stuff is stuff. "Gwen will just come back for me. I don't want to put the pack in danger anymore."

"You have any idea where you're going to go?" Raiden asks. He's practically covered in makeshift bandages. He took way more damage in that fight yesterday than we thought. At least we've got a good healer with us.

"Yeah, Haika's leading me somewhere else. Far away from here." As if on cue, the arcanine comes out of the cave, seemingly ready to go.

"Well then, I guess this is good-bye," I say. "It's been fun." I reach my hand out for him to shake it. He takes it.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Bye. You too, Raiden."

"No, I don't think it is." What's he going on about now? "Think about how many times we've said goodbye to each other before. And I always show up again."

"Mostly with another injury," Kaveh mutters.

"I have no doubt that we'll see each other again. Real soon too. So this isn't good-bye. Just 'see you again'." Wow, that was pretty deep, coming from him anyway. Maybe I don't give him enough credit.

Kaveh smiles weakly. "Yeah, I guess it is. See you later then." He waves and climbs onto Haika's back. "And stay out of trouble, you two. Good luck."

And with that, they're gone, off into the darkness of the forest. It looks like Haika doesn't like wasting time.

We stand in silence for a few moments, not really feeling the need to say anything. Until Raiden finally breaks the silence. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah."


	8. Raiden- Boredom and Ice Cream

"Okay, I know I've asked this a bunch of times now..."

"Don't say it."

"And it's really cliché..."

"I swear, Raiden!"

"Are we there yet?" Dean glares at me, and I shut up immediately. I might be a hybrid, but Dean is like, twice my size. I have a feeling he could take me in a one-on-one fight. But that doesn't change the fact that we've been walking for two days and haven't even come close to Blutere City! How much longer is this going to take?

Another few minutes pass in silence, the only sound being the occasional blast of wind through the trees. Oh right, it's almost Autumn. I'll need a jacket soon. "Can you at least tell me about Blutere City? I've never even been there and I'm bored."

Dean sighs, obviously tired of my questions. What can I say, I have a lot of practice with annoying people. "If I do, will you shut up for an hour?"

"Sure."

_Don't lie, Rai_. Arc says. Darn. I thought he was asleep. Or whatever he does in there. _Hey, that rhymes! Hehe._

"Fine. Blutere City is right by the coast, so it's pretty nice there. There eastern side of the city is basically a huge beach, and I think that's where the gym is. The city itself is actually pretty small compared to others, and there aren't many huge buildings like skyscrapers. But there are a bunch of hotels, and some are specifically for traveling trainers." Wow, that place sounds great. I can't wait to see it. Oh yeah, that's right. I won't be able to. At best, I'll be stuck in a hotel room while Dean's out surfing at the beach. Being a hybrid sucks.

"Happy now?" Dean asks. I almost forgot he was talking.

"No, but I'll be quiet."

"Good. And we'll be there by tonight." Thank Arceus!

* * *

The next hour passes in almost painful silence. Every once in a while, a wild pokemon would come into our path and Dean would battle it, but it was so boring! My feet ache, I'm hungry, and there's a really itchy spot on my back that I can't reach. Stupid fur. It's so uncomfortable most of the time.

All of a sudden, a different sound drifts through the area. It's faint, but I can tell someone is coming. I hear a lot of crashing through the bushes, so there's mo way it's a pokemon or hybrid. Even the smell is too human to be a pokemon or hybrid, and trust me, I've learned to tell the difference.. And it's better safe than sorry. Unfortunately

"Someone's coming," I groan. Of course. It had to be a human coming. Why isn't it ever someone I know? And if you ask me, Dean looks a little too happy to take out the X-Ball. And since when is it in his pocket and not his bag? He was waiting for this, wasn't he? With a click, it's like my body is hit with a huge wind. Everything fades away, sight, sounds, even feeling. And then, it's just darkness.

For a few seconds anyway.

After a few moments, a strange green light appears in the distance. It soon grows larger and larger, and when it fades, I'm left standing in a far-stretching field. A light breeze blows, and the sun shines brightly in the sky.

"Oh great, now I have to hang out with you." A frown etches itself onto my face as o turn around. Standing there is a perfect reflection of me, or technically Arc. Guess he was feeling more human today.

"I don't want to be here either, you know," I retort. "But apparently, our consciousness doesn't know what else to do in this situation, so we have to share."

Understandably, Arc doesn't look convinced. His arms are crossed over his furred chest. "You know what the best part about living in our head is? I get to be alone in a place I choose. You being here messes it all up!"

"I was here first!"

"No, you weren't! We just split up!"

I've had enough of this. I can at least block him out in the real world, but this is awful. "Look, you go over there, and I'll go over here. We've only got a few minutes left in here anyway." Turning on my heels, I stomp off in one direction. Arc does the same in the opposite one.

* * *

Despite my earlier assumption, Dean doesn't let me/us out in a few minutes. It could just be that time works differently in here, but I'm pretty sure it's been half-an-hour. What is he doing out there?

By now, the area around me has morphed from the previous setting. Instead of a green meadow, I'm no surrounded by trees and underbrush. Forests aren't exactly the most comfortable places to live, but it's actually kind of safe. It gives me a sort of calmness to be in one. I guess I've spent too much time living in one. But it's not like there's anywhere else for me.

"You better not be getting all emo over there!" Arc suddenly shouts. He's not even close by, but his voice comes loud and clear. "I refuse to feel that!"

"Would you just leave me alone?" I shout back. I reach up to pick a berry from a tree. How long is this going to take?

I carve another notch into a tree with my knife. The sixth one. Yep, it's been six hours. It is definitely dark out now. But in my head, the sun is still shining brightly. But even so, we've got to be in Blutere City by now. And he still hasn't let me out of this thing! I bet he was just waiting for an excuse to keep me locked up in this thing! Was I really that annoying? Was Dean going back on his promise? Or did he lie to me from the start?

"What did I tell you about going emo?" Arc yells. But I don't reply. Who cares if this makes him annoyed. I can tell he's thinking the same thing. We share the same body for Arceus' sake!

All of a sudden, a weird, but familiar sensation overcomes me. The world around me melts away, and with it comes a sense of euphoria and dread. I guess now's when I figure out the truth. I can only hope for the best.

Once my vision clears up, I can see Dean standing in front of me. He's got a sheepish grin on his face, like he's getting ready to apologize for something (he better be sorry). But looking around, I can see we're inside. And by the looks of it, a hotel or something. The entire room is carpeted white, except for the kitchen area. There's a neatly made bed in front of a wide screen TV, and a chair next to it. Man, this place is nice. Are we in Blutere City? Which meant this really was one of those hotels. Dean wasn't kidding when he said these were nice.

_Hello? Aren't you forgetting about being mad at him_? Oh yeah! I'm just about to give Dean a piece of my mind, but he beats me to it.

"Look, sorry about keeping you locked up in that thing. I got stuck talking to someone on the way, and we ended up heading toward the city together. I couldn't exactly let you out in front of her, right?" However, I was only holding onto one word in his explaination.

A smirk sneaks onto my face. "You got distracted by a girl, didn't you?"

Dean recoils in surprise, face glowing red. "Wh-what? No! She just wanted to talk. And walk together. Look, just forget about it, okay?" Oh, there's no way I'm letting this one go. But there are more important things on my mind than making fun of Dean. I haven't eaten all day.

I make my way over to the mini-fridge, swinging it wide open. Unfortunately, there's not a thing inside. Just cold air. "What kind of hotel is this? There are supposed to be snacks in the fridge!"

"What kind of hotel are you talking about?" Dean asks, closing the door. "You don't just get free food in your room."

"Please tell me there's room service!"

"Yes, there is. And lucky for you, it's free. You can get as much as you want. Just make sure no one sees you." Yeah, yeah. The usual "make sure you're not seen" stuff. Who cares, free food delivered right to my room! This isn't as bad as I thought. But as I make my way over to the phone, Dean's putting his jacket back on.

"Where are you going? We just got here."

"I'm gonna go scout out the Gym for tomorrow. I heard the Leader is tough. Maybe I can watch someone battle him before tomorrow." Oh yeah. I almost forgot we're only here until he battles the Gym Leader and moves on to the next city. Which means we'll probably only stay a day or two. Sure, we'll be moving quickly, but I don't want to be back on the road so soon. I guess there's nothing I can do about it.

_We could always cause a panic in the city and shut stuff down for a few days_. Arc suggests.

"_We'll call that Plan B._" Well, it wasn't that bad of an idea. It was just 90% flaws.

"See you in an hour," Dean says as he closes the door. Now it's just me, Arc, a phone, and a wide-screen TV. This is going to be the best night ever!

I flop onto the bed and grab the remote off the bedside table. It's been years since I've last watched TV, and I intend to find out the best shows that are on right now. As soon as I find something that looks interesting, I put the remote down and pick up the phone and menu. The number for Room Service is dialed in an instant.

"Hey, is this room service? I'd like a papaya berry smoothie, a large cheeseburger, and your finest bowl of oran berry ice cream delivered to Room 307. Just leave it by the door." While I wait, I focus on the show. From what i can tell, it's about some detective guy and his best friend who solve a mystery for an hour and a half. To be honest, I'm not really following any of it. But it's better than nothing.

Eventually, there's a knock at the door to the room. As I run there, I almost open the door wide. But luckily, I manage to remember to look through the glass outside. After making sure no one's out there, I open the door just wide enough and snatch the food in. I'm practically drooling at the sight. The burger is perfectly put together, and looks like it was freshly made. Steam is still coming off the buns. The smoothie and ice-cream look practically home-made too. And the smell, oh the smell. I could die right now and be happy.

_What are you waiting for, dumbass?_ Arc shouts. _Eat it already_! Looks like he's just as hungry as I am. After setting my tray down on a table, I dig in. And the food is just as good as it tastes. Yeah, I could definitely die right now and be happy. I haven't lived like this in years.

But all of a sudden, there's a loud knock that nearly surprises me enough to drop my bowl of ice cream. But it doesn't come from the door. It's coming from the window. Right outside is a girl on the balcony. She looks like she's trying to get me to let her in.

Did I mention this room is on the third floor of this hotel? Or that she's a hybrid?


	9. Casey- First Day on the Job

I walk down the main hallway, trying to blend in with everyone else. But even can tell it's not working out. Everyone's eyes are on me, the new girl, even if they look away quickly. It's pretty obvious I'm new too. For a seasoned police unit, everyone looks kind of grungy if you ask me. I mean, apparently no one has even ironed their uniforms! Does anyone take this seriously but new people?

It feels like an eternity has passed by the time I reach the boss' door. I adjust my uniform before pushing it open tentatively and walking in. I don't want to make a bad impression the first time I meet her.

The first thing I notice about the room is the smell. It's definitely different then the rest of HQ. It's the kind of smell that comes out of air freshener cans, but a thousand times stronger. There was either a really bad smell before I arrived, or someone who really likes the smell of oranges and hibiscus.

"Ah, Casey Reese. You're right on time." Ms. Cordova says as I walk in. I stand as straight as I can while she sits at her desk, apparently putting away some papers. Or something. I can only guess they're profiles of hybrids seen in the area. "So you're our newest recruit." She looks me over, obviously sizing me up. "Well, you're certainly better than the last one they gave us." Is that a good sign?

"Quiet one, aren't ya?" She says, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Relax, we're all friends here."

"Yes sir! I mean ma'am!" As soon as I messed up, my face turned bright red. I can't believe I slipped up like that! What kind of first day is this?

However, Ms. Cordova just chuckles. Maybe she's used to it. Well, I guess she would be. "Like I said, we're all friends here, no need to be formal. Call me Yvette."

"Um, okay?" Well, that explained why everyone here was practically dressed casually with such decrepit uniforms. She doesn't seem to care about much. Odd if you ask me.

Ms. Cord - no - _Yvette_, then takes out a manila folder, the kind any office has, and pulls out a small stack of papers. The top one has a picture of me on it, the first one I took over at the academy. Dear Arceus, it looks just as terrible as I remember, even with just a glance at it. I didn't even have my braces off then, and my hair was a mess of red curls. I hoped I'd never even have to think of that picture again.

"So you were one of the top recruits in your class? Impressive." But then she pauses. "But really only did well in the more physical stuff. Guess you're not one for any desk work." Oh thank Arceus! But what does that mean for my job?

"So," Yvette grins, but I can see some sort of devious intent in her eyes. This can't be good. "I'll be assigning you to the Search-and Capture Unit. Though it's not much of a unit. Only five people are really on board. But you'll make six!" Before I can even say what I think, she's already waving me out the door. "Go find Richard; he can explain your job more thoroughly."

"Um, well I guess I'll get right on that." I honestly have no idea what to say.

"Yeah, go on." Once again, Yvette takes out a small stack of paper, but definitely not the same one as before. Emblazoned across the top are the words

"**Hybrids of Unknown Status**"

She clicks her pen and crosses one line out.

* * *

In sharp contrast to Yvette, Richard is... well let's just say gruff. In the full minute he takes to stare me down, I at least get a good idea of his appearance. I'd say he's in his forties, with greying brown hair and a pretty fit build. Unlike nearly everyone I've seen so far, he wears his uniform with pride. Not a crease out of place.

"So, you're this Casey I've heard so much about." That came so sudden, I can't remember to talk. His voice is just as intimidating as he is. I just nod. "Quiet one, huh? That's good. Can't have those hybrids catching wind of ya'."

All of a sudden, someone else busts into the room, a woman a few years older than me with black hair tied into a bun. She looks flustered, and is carrying a stack of papers. "Mr. Parks! We've got one captured. I think you'll want to see this!"

Richard-or is it Mr. Parks-stands up from his chair. Even that looks formal coming from him. "Lead the way, Nichole." The woman begins to move back toward the large doors that lead back out into the main building, but stops when she catches wind of me.

"Oh? Who's this?"

"Casey Reese!" I say. Oh man, that came out fast. And loud. I hope neither of them noticed.

"Our newest recruit in the tracking team," Richard adds. "Now let's go see what you've found this time."

"You won't be disappointed, sir!" As Nichole leads us out, Richard explains the basics of my job to me. In this unit, we hunt down known hybrids, taking them into custody so they can't harm the general populace. What happens to them afterward isn't said, but I think everyone knows. It's like a rock was into my gut.

"Here we are!" Nichole announces. She stops in front of a large metal door. We're in the lowest level of the complex, even lower than what we call the basement. Obviously, this is where they keep captured hybrids. There are so many locks and passwords down here, I can't bring myself to believe anything could escape.

Nichole taps a password into a small control panel by the door, and the s=door slowly swings open. Inside is a dark corridor, filled to the brim with shelves. And each one is filled with metal crates of minimized H-Balls. Some of them near the front are even decorated with cobwebs. How long have those hybrids been trapped here?

As we're led farther into the maze, Nichole begins to explain her newest "catch."

""You'll never believe who we brought in today! We've been after her for months! She put up a great fight and all, but was no match for the combined power of my team! She's still a little feisty though, so don't get too close.

Finally, we reach a certain area, one that's actually pretty well-lit. These shelves aren't filled with crates, but just individual H-Balls. All of them are labeled too. I guess they got more interested in organization as time went on. To think, completely innocent hybrids must be imprisoned in most of these capsules, and now they're only things to be packed away back here.

Nichole takes a ball off a shelf after looking through them all. It's completely identical to the others, but she looks positively elated to hold it. "Such a unique specimen," she breathes. "I can't believe we found someone like her." We're lead to a strange room in the back then, one that looks almost like an interrogation room. But instead of one-way glass, it's obviously reinforced to the point that no one can break through. And on our side is simply a holder for pokeballs, able to simply send them into the room and take them back out again. It's an example of some of the newest technology we have access to right now.

Nichole places the ball in the holder, and in a second, a purple light materializes in the room. It soon forms into a rather large figure, a young woman about 18 years old. Her entire body is covered in a rocky plating, and her neck is adorned with white plumage. Even from here, I can see her teeth are quite large and sharp. Immediately, I can tell what species she is: a Tyrantrum. She crosses her arms from the moment she realizes where she is.

"So, you actually brought me here." Her voice is dripping with cynicism. "I'm so honored to be brought out of prison."

Nichole completely ignores her, instead turning to face us. "I told you we caught a rare one! It's been so long since we've even seen a fossil hybrid, much less a fully evolved one! You have no idea how hard it was to bring her in."

Richard grunts in approval. "Nice work, Nichole. But I have a feeling there's something you're not telling me, am I right?"

She rolls her eyes. "Aw, you never let me have my fun! But fine. While Zachary and I were struggling to ring her down, she exhibited an odd power." She brings a hand to the back of her head, a sheepish expression on her face. "We almost lost completely; it was like she was a different hybrid entirely."

"You got that right, girly," the hybrid taunts. She's standing closer to the window now. "Now how's about you let me out of here for round two?"

"Not on your life," Richard says. "You won't be getting out in here, but I think we can find another use for you." He turns away, and begins to head toward the exit. "Lock her up again. And tell the tech team I want another collar."

"You don't mean..."

"Exactly what I mean." Okay, I have absolutely no idea what's happening here. But if my inkling is correct, it won't be good for our captive. And she seems to have gotten the same idea. Before she's sucked back into the H-ball, a genuine look of fear flashes across her face.

In a few minutes, we're back on the surface. I didn't realize it down there, but it was like the air was stale and oppressive. I can't imagine being in that cellar for more than a few minutes. If anything, at least those hybrids are in a slightly less depressing area, or so they say.

"Hey, Casey! Listening?" I blink in surprise. I completely zoned out! Nichole is sitting in a chair right in front of me, waving a hand. "Oh good, you're back. Rich said it's about time to go out on your first mission. You're coming with me and Zach." And just who is Zach? Almost as if reading my mind, she then says, "He should be here any moment now, but while we wait, let me tell you who we're hunting down."

Nichole rolls her chair over to a computer, and begins to type extremely fast. By the time I get over there, she's already pulled up two rendered profiles, one of a boy and the other a girl. They both look like teenagers. And obviously, they're hybrids.

The boy is practically covered in blue and black fur. His head almost seems to have a black mane, while the rest of him, that I can see, has electric blue. Two sharp fangs are visible in his mouth, and a tail tipped with a star protrudes from his back-end. A luxio hybrid. Fun.

The girl is noticeably older, maybe by three years or so. Her body is covered in grey fur, though seems even scruffier and rougher than the boy's in some places. Her ears are quite large, and two tails come from her. Cinccino hybrid. Though why are these two our targets?

"These two have been sighted around Serods Forest, mostly around Genown City. Just a few days ago, Yvette was chasing the Luxio down after he bought a loaf of bread." Bought? Most hybrids didn't exactly have the money to do that, or the desire to heed society's rules for that matter. Nichole seems to notice my confusion. "Yeah, I know. Odd. But anyway, he got away and we haven't seen him since. He's not much of a problem, but it's troubling when they disappear without a trace like that."

"Now, as for this girl, she's sort of a troublemaker. From Genown to Blutere, she's been reported messing with travelers, often stealing their money and food. On more than one occasion, she's straight up attacked them. Honestly, some of these hybrids can be so violent." I don't say anything, but that struck a nerve. There was probably a good reason for it.

"I don't think they'll be too much of a problem once we find them, but we should sti-" All of a sudden, the office door opens and a lanky man walks in, hands in his pockets. He looks even younger than I am, which is saying something. And I thought I was the youngest person working here.

At once, his eyes train on me, but he still keeps that bored expression. "Casey?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well at least Nichole isn't the only person I have to work with now." He then walks over and plops down in a nearby chair.

"Talk about rude, huh?" Nichole whispers. "But don't worry. He's slightly better when he warms up to you."

"I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!" Nichole says with a laugh, pushing Zach a little. Maybe it'll be pretty nice working here.


	10. Casey- The First Mission

Zach looks up from his sandwich, apparently very pleased. "You know, Genown really does have the best restaurants."

Nichole nods as she finishes hers off. "Definitely! I mean, have you been to that ice-cream place around the corner? Best rocky road ever." Zach nods in agreement, taking another bite of his food.

Of course, I've just been staring at these two this entire lunch with my eyes fixed into a glare. It took them ten minutes to convince me to even order a pointless lunch. "Okay, what are we even doing here? Aren't we supposed to be catching those hybrids?"

Both of them look almost surprised to hear that. But the shock soon turns to laughter, Nichole's being a bit louder than Zach's. What is with these two? It was a serious concern!

"Oh man," Nichole breathes once she finally calms down a little. "I almost forgot, you're new."

"Let me tell you something," Zach says, continuing on for Nichole. "We don't have to obsess over our latest assignment all the time. You have to take a break and relax for a few minutes."

"We've been here for an hour!"

Nichole looks away, obviously trying to seem as innocent as possible. "What? They've got really good food. But hey, we'll pick up the search right now." She stands up and steps out of the booth, dragging Zach out with her (much to his disdain).

"Hey! Don't grab me like that!" He dusts himself off, visibly annoyed. "What's the point anyway? They're definitely not around anymore.

My expression becomes one of skepticism. How could he possibly know that? We only looked for twenty minutes before he went off on his own for five! "And you know this, how?"

"Oh, don't worry about Zach's logic," Nichole interjects. "He's usually right about these things. He's got a sort of specialty when it comes to finding and tracking our quarry. He's like a hunting dog or something."

"Oh, shut up."

"No. But what matters is, we're heading out toward another town." Nichole grins. "So, where to, Scooby-Doo?"

Zach growls, understandably, but manages to respond in a somewhat flat tone. "Blutere is the closest city to here, which means that the luxio hybrid probably fled there. As for the cinccino, she hasn't been seen here in a month. She's either there too or somewhere in Serods forest."

I cross my arms, impressed. "Wow, Zach. Never thought you'd be so insightful."

He sighs. "Great. Now I've got two girls looking down on me all of the time."

"Well, you are kind of short," Nichole comments with a small smile on her face.

"Shut it!"

**~Blutere City~**

By the time the three of us reach Blutere, the sun has set. It took us hours to comb the forest on our flying pokemon. My Starapter is exhausted, and to be honest, I'm not much better. At least he gets to take a break until later. I'll be up all night. Maybe I should have taken that offer for free food earlier...

"So, that search was a bust," Zach says, annoyance deeply embedded in his voice.

Surprisingly, Nichole still looks pretty positive. Is it even possible to get her down? "Not so. We could have ended up searching the city all day, and they could have been in the forest."

"But we searched the forest all day," I retort.

"Good point. But let's start looking around. They've got to be somewhere around here." I may be as tired as a Slaking, but she's right. We still have a job to do. Zach and I nod in agreement, though he still looks pretty mad.

"Okay then," Zoe begins, "here's the plan: We all split up and do the searching for those two hybrids. Ask around town if anyone's seen them, or can give us a lead or two. There's no way they can avoid being spotted here. Got it? Okay, break!" Nichole heads off, down Sourd Street, before either of us can get a word in. I guess she still has a lot of energy to get rid of.

"Well, Zach," I say, turning to face him, "I guess we should-" And, he's gone. I should have guessed he'd be on the case that quickly. He probably just wants to get to bed, though. Well, he probably knows what he's doing anyway. I should get going too.

I cross the street, already knowing exactly where I'm headed. The area surrounding the beach is the section of town with the lowest concentration of citizens. Even if the gym is there, it's one of the best places for hybrids to hide. My bet is, at least one of them is hanging around there. With all of that water, the luxio would probably find it easy to defend himself if necessary, so he's most likely there. Perhaps I'll get lucky and find a really clean area where the cinccino is most likely to be.

Hopefully, I'll be able to avoid a fight. I can't exactly let them run free, but it feels cruel to harm them more than I have to. It's bad enough that they'll probably be stuck in the basement's headquarters forever.

All of a sudden, there's a flash of color in front of my face, and I'm unable to react before I've collided with it. It doesn't take me long to realize I just walked into a person. I must have been really caught up in my thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Excuse me." Now that I've backed up, I can see I ran into a teenage boy. He's quite tall, and has wavy blond hair. Kind of cute for his age actually.

He shakes his head. "No, excuse me. I wasn't looking where I was going." He starts to walk away, but I remember what I'm supposed to be doing at the last second.

"Wait!" Crap that was loud. "I, uh, need to ask you something."

He stops and turns around. "Yeah?"

"I'm out looking for some hybrids; a luxio and cinccino. Have you seen them around here somewhere?"

He shakes his head, almost immediately. "Nope, just humans and pokemon. But good luck searching." With that, he keeps walking. I didn't even get a chance to tell him to call if he sees either of them. But in the end, I guess he was a little freaked out to hear that there were two hybrids in the city, ones that we were particularly searching for. It usually meant they were a problem, so it was a good thing he was probably in a hurry. Hopefully we'd find them soon.

All of a sudden, my X-Transceiver beeps. In a moment, the person on the other end begins to speak. I hold my arm up to try and hear better. "This is Zach Lukah. I need back-up! There's a really tough hybrid up on the south end of town. I'll send the coordinates, but get here fast!" The transmitter suddenly cuts out, and the screen begins to display a map of the town. Just as Zach said, there's a red dot at the north end of town. I'm close, but it'll take me a bit to get there.

I'd better start running then.

**~Route 304~**

Finally, I near Zach's location. Luckily, we're far enough outside of the residential areas of the city that not too much will be caught in any conflict. It's mostly beach. But judging from Zach's panicked tone, there's going to be conflict.

A bit more running, and I finally see what all of the commotion's about. In the midst of a heated battle are Zach's lampent and the tough hybrid Zach spoke of. He's covered in shaggy, brown fur, except for around his head. There, he's got wild red, orange, and yellow streaked hair that almost gives the impression of being on fire itself. A pyroar hybrid. Well I picked the wrong day to leave my Water types at home.

At that moment, Nichole catches up. She actually looks pretty winded, but considering she probably ran across half of a city, it's understandable. "I'm here," she pants. "Where's... the... hybrid?"

I point out the battle just out of ear-shot. "Over there. He's fighting a pyroar."

"Well, it's nothing the three of us can't handle, right?" I nod. It can't possibly take on all three of us at once, right? We've got the upper hand here!

"_Well, not really._"

I turn to Nichole. "Did you say that?" I don't even need her to answer. Judging by her confused expression, she's just as confused as me. But our questions are soon answered when a strange feeling comes over my entire body. Just looking at Nichole, I can see the blue energy surrounding her body. Psychic!

Before we can do anything, the somewhat tingling feeling soon becomes a crushing force. I can barely breathe as we're lifted into the air. I try my hardest to crane my neck downward allowing myself to see the perpetrator. Standing at the top of a sand dune not too far away is a... little kid? His entire body is covered in a weird, green slime or something and his eyes are glowing blue. Definitely a hybrid of the solosis line, but it's hard to tell which one. Though judging from this powerful Psychic, most likely reuniclus. But how does a kid who looks seven or eight get so strong?

"Sorry about this!" He calls up. "But you're not allowed to get in the way. My friend is over there getting your friend."

It takes all of the strength I have to talk back. God, it's like I'm being crushed by a million weights! "Why... do you want... him?"

The kid almost looks impressed. "Wow, you can still talk? Too bad." All of a sudden, the pressure increases. I can't move at all. It's nearly impossible to get in air. "Since you don't matter though, I guess I can tell you. We need him to come with us because he's annoying. What kind of-" Suddenly, the boy cries out in obvious pain. The glow in his eyes fades. I can feel the hold he has on me loosening, all the way until we're dropped back into the sand. At least it wasn't pavement.

"What the hell was that?" I cough out once I'm actually able to talk again. But this time, someone beats Nichole to the punch.

"See!" The little boys shouts. He looks mad now. Gone is the playfulness in his eyes. Now there's just a fierce glare. "I told you he's annoying! He just had to interrupt our fun with a dark type attack like that!" It makes sense now. Zach must have seen that we were in trouble and told his lampent to attack the kid! But even that must have left him open for attack by the pyroar he was fighting.

"Well, it doesn't matter," the boy continues. A somewhat sadistic grin grows on his face. It sends chills down my spine. "We can continue from where we left off." Once again, his eyes begin to glow bright blue. But before anything can happen, a grey and black blur rushes past me and plows into him. Another cry of pain escapes him as he's thrown to the ground.

Latched onto his shoulder by the teeth is a mightyena. That crunch looks like it hurt. "Don't worry about him," Nichole says, stepping forward. She's holding her mightyena's pokeball. "Go help Zach. We'll hold him off."

I nod and bolt forward. I just hope I'm not too late.


	11. Rika- Meeting the Loser

**And now, something completely different from what was happening before. Prepare for a new character.**

* * *

I pound even harder on the glass, ignoring the slight pain it brings. What is with this guy? He's just standing there, surrounded by his mess of food. "What's your problem?" I shout. Hopefully I was loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough that no one else did. "Open up already or I'll beat the crap outta' you!"

"_You do realize you can't hurt him if he doesn't open the door, right_?" Hikara says, condescending tone and all.

"_I don't need the sass_," I say back to her. "And if he doesn't open up, I'm breaking through anyway." Unfortunately, it doesn't look it'll be coming to that. The guy inside seems to have gotten the message, and he's making his way over to the balcony door. I'd even say he looks a little scared. Ah, intimidation. The best motivator. Then again, maybe I don't really want to get in. I mean, that's a lot of garbage on the ground.

The second the sliding door is open, I'm inside, slipping right past him. Of course, I whacked him with one of my tails (rewarding me with an "ow!") as I walked past. "That's what you get for taking so long. It's cold out there you know."

"It's only August," The boy says. Now, I can actually get a good look at him. Definitely a year or two younger than me, practically covered in blue and black fur, and kind of scrawny. Not very impressive if you ask me. "Now who are you and what do you want?"

Dodging the mess of trash on the floor, I jump onto a bed, stretching out instantly. From the glare he gives me, I have a feeling it's his. Nice. "Nothing much. Just a break from living on the streets. Say, how'd you even get in here? Are they letting go of that thing where we have to be locked up upon sight?"

He crosses his arms. "That's none of your business. Now can you leave?" He points toward the balcony door.

I fake a pout, trying my hardest not to laugh at the thought of seeing myself do that. "Aw, what's the matter? Don't like me barging into your room or something? Expecting a hot date?"

Just like I thought, his cheeks glow red with embarrassment. Man, this kid's hilarious. "What? No! J-just get out already. I don't even know you!"

"Oh, stop teasing him already," Hikara says. "You did break into his hotel room." I can practically feel the smug look she'd be giving me right now. I never get to have any fun.

I change my position on the bed, now lying on my stomach to face him. "You don't know me? Well then, we'll just have to get to know each other. I'm Rika, how 'bout you?"

"I don't have to tell you anything! Get out already!"

"Hey, you're the one who let me in."

"You threatened to beat me up!"

"Wow, you're pretty salty."

Before he can come up with a stammered retort, there's a loud knock on the door. It sounds hurried, and kind of panicked. "Raiden! Open up. It's me!" So his name's Raiden. Guess I got it after all.

"Crap! He's back already?" Raiden glares at me for a moment. "You need to hide somewhere!"

"Aw, but I wanna see who your boyfriend is." His face glows tamato berry red once more. I love messing with this guy. He's too easy.

"Not the time, just move!" Eh, I guess this is a little more interesting than whatever else would happen. And judging by how worried he is, I think there's another reason I should be hiding. I make my way over to the closet, going just slowly enough to piss him off. But in the end, I get in before he decides to finally open the door.

I can't see anything, but I can hear just fine. The first one to speak is Raiden, laughing nervously. "Hey, Dean. How've ya been?"

There's a long silence, and then who I presume to be Dean finally speaks up. "Alright, what did you- You know what? Never mind. We really need to get out of here."

"What are you talking about?"

"The HCP! They're after you; specifically. Well, you and some Cinccino girl. But the point is, they somehow know you're here and we need to leave."

Then there's a lot of rustling, like someone's cleaning up. "Wait, but what about the gym?" Gym? Since when can hybrids have anything to do with the Gyms? Are they planning to challenge them? Wait a minute... Is this Dean guy human? Well, that explains how they even got here in the first place. But since when do humans and hybrids hang out post-shift?

"But no matter how you see it, running away like this won't help," Raiden protests. "No matter what, you need to get the rest of the badges so we can get to that guy and I can go on with my life."

"You won't be able to even start if they catch you here. And if I'm caught, I'm probably going to jail too!"

There's a long silence, and then someone sighs. Evidently, it's Raiden. "How about we just stay for another day or two? That should be enough time for you to challenge... Whoever the Gym Leader is and short enough that they won't find me. I mean, who's gonna look in a hotel full of trainers? And if all else fails, we've got the H-Ball, right?" So that's how they're doing it. I thought it would be hard to sneak a furry kid around.

Once again, another long stretch of silence. What is with these two? Why do they have to stop the interesting stuff so much? But finally, Dean speaks up. "Fine, we'll stay for another two days. But after that, we're out of here, got it?" Great, another pause. "Besides, I know you really just want to waste time in this room."

"What? It's way better than living in a forest."

**~Blutere City~**

"Hey, wake up!" someone says. Well, it's really more of a hiss if anything. As I open my eyes, I groan, realizing I fell asleep for who knows how long in a closet. Though, it's not really my fault. Those idiots just wouldn't go to sleep. I couldn't sneak out. Ugh, boys.

"What do you want, Raiden?" I ask, normal volume.

"Hey! Keep your voice down. Dean's asleep, so you can make a break for it."" I stand up and step out of the closet. I have to stretch out almost immediately though. Sleeping in a tiny closet really is murder on your muscles. And I thought tree branches were bad.

"_They are bad_," Hikara says.

"_Says you_." I snap back at her. Now that I'm done stretching out, I make my way back to the balcony. "You know this is no way to treat a lady. I mean, you sneak me around like a secret girlfriend, and send me out after an hour. What kind of man are you?" Without even turning around, I can tell he's flustered. Did I mention I love messing with him?

"Wh- what are you talking about? Just who do you think you are?"

I turn my head to look at him. "Obviously, the one who's having fun around here. Let me guess, you've been cooped up all day and haven't even been able to have fun around here, am I right?"

"Sure, go outside and get caught by the HCP. That's exactly my idea of fun."

"Well the sarcasm wasn't really necessary," I say with a huff. "But I'm nice, so I'll help you out. We'll just go out and have some fun for a while. What's the harm in that?"

"The fact that I'd be out alone at night with a crazy person." Great. He's boring. I guess he needs a little push. Or pull.

Before Raiden can do anything, I lunge out and grab him by the wrist with one hand, and clamp a hand over his mouth with another. Despite his immediately struggles, he's not getting out. I pride myself on my iron grip.

"Oh calm down," I say as I start to drag him toward the balcony. "We're just gonna run around the city for an hour or two. No one's gonna catch us." Once we're outside, the cool air blows over me once again. I almost didn't realize how stuffy it was in their room. Nothing beats a fresh ocean breeze. I use one of my tails in order to close the glass door, and finally let go of Raiden's face. Man, he looks mad.

"What the hell are you doing!" He hisses. Apparently, he still doesn't want to wake his friend up. Cute. "I thought I told you to just leave!"

"And I thought I told you you're coming with me." And with that, I give him a hard shove. He's caught off guard and stumbles backward. Right into the (surprisingly short) railing. Just as planned, he flips over and falls down. Immediately, a short cry hits my ears, but is soon muffled with a nice WHUMPF.

I vault over the railing, making sure to land right next to where Raiden would have. My feet pound into the pile of trash bags, making a sort of odd sound. Soon after, Raiden manages to pull himself out of the trash he'd become submerged in.

"Not cool!" He snarls. Wow, I can tell he's trying his hardest not to yell.

"What? I thought cats always landed on their feet. What kind of feline are you? A disgrace if you ask me. Honestly, it was only three floors."

"Only three floors? If these bags weren't here, I could have died!"

"Well they were here, so lucky us." Of course, I had put them there earlier for a quick escape/landing pad on the off chance I got caught or fell (Hikara's idea). He was so much more worried this way.

He seems like he's going to say something, but, in the end, decides against it. "Whatever. Just help me get back up there. I'm not getting caught with you."

What follows next is something that can only be described as an insult to rock climbers. I'm sure the first person to climb Mt. Silver had a heart attack. Continue at your own risk.

I swear, this kid has no idea what the difference between a good handhold and foothold is. He spent a good five minutes trying to find a brick that would support his weight. And the perfect one was a foot away at all times! How many brain cells did he lose when I push him?

By the time he manages to pull himself up, it's another 15 seconds of scrambling with his feet to find a place to put them down. This pathetic display is making me cringe every five seconds. It was idiotic in every way.

After a total of ten minutes have passed, Raiden's progress is a whopping... four feet off the ground. Astounding, right folks? And of course, like all people with the skill of a two year-old. He fell right back into the trash immediately afterward.

"A masterful display, chum," I say to him, trying to keep in my laughter. What can I say? It was hilarious to watch. Cringe-worthy and pathetic yes, but funny still. I guess my original plan to get him back up later will be a bust. Kid couldn't make it if he tried.

"Shut up."

"No really. A+ effort!"

He crosses his arms. "Well excuse me for climbing trees and living in a forest for the past two years."

Well, I guess it's time for plan B. I grab onto the nearest handhold in the wall, launching myself up the side of the building. Fingers expertly latch onto outcroppings in its surface, feet not even really required. The rough surface cuts into my fingers slightly, but I don't pay it any attention. In moments, I've passed the first and second floor balconies. Soon enough, I'm back on the one for Raiden's and Dean's room.

"_You really shouldn't show off like that_," Hikara says.

"It's not my fault he sucks," I say back to her, shrugging. I open the glass door and saunter inside. Luckily, Dean's bag is right by the door. All it takes is a little digging through the pockets to find what I'm looking for: an H-ball.

"_What do you think_? " I ask Hikara "_Is this it?_"

"_Probably. It's the only one in there, right? And it sure seems active._" Well, that's good enough for me. I head back outside, jumping off the balcony in the same way I did before. I'm back in the trash pile, Raiden waiting impatiently for me.

I hold out the ball in my hand, much to my new companion's surprise. "H-How did you get that? How'd you even know?"

"I stole it," I say flatly. "And it wasn't that hard. I was in the closet while you were talking you know." I bounce the thing in my hand a bit. "Now let's get going already." I flash him a grin. "It's not like you can stop me now, right, Ball-Boy?" With that, I saunter off into the alley. After a few seconds, I can hear a growl behind me, and then footsteps. Looks like he's in.


End file.
